A New Year of New Hopes and New Challenges-Rabindra Narayan MD & President PTC network

Finally, 2022 is gone!! The most trying year for music industry and yet the most hopeful year. The early 2022 saw the COVID threat looming large once again. As the world opened up, so did the lost opportunities for musicians all over. The shows were back, the audience was back. The music videos started happening once again and the travel started too. The New Year’s eve saw practically every public event being flooded with audiences, eager to groove to their favourite singers. It is so heartening to see musicians back in business. They were the hardest hit during COVID and one hopes that era of depression and illness never returns.

Nevertheless, 2023 is here and full of promise. However, the challenges will be greater. The audience is spoilt for choice and each time you perform, each time you release a song - you need to be at your best. The marketing of music is changing. Music channels are a dying breed. Nobody will be dependent on the television music channels anymore. The streaming world is coming into its own. Welcome to the Golden Era for musicians where they don't need a godfather, they don’t need to beg in front of powerful music executives, television channels or show promoters. Their talent is now their calling card. You tube is the new bible of success. 

The digital era also comes in with its prejudices and issues. Its not a level playing field. Like the television era, the digital era is also becoming biased towards those who can spend money - buy popularity. However, despite that bias, the fresh talent has unlimited opportunities to be heard, to be spotted and to get promoted. Maithili Thakur is the biggest example of digital success. Small town, humble-background singers are becoming stars backed with immense talent. The window of opportunity is going to become bigger and bigger in 2023. This is also the toughest time for instrumentalists. As the productions become increasingly software based, the need for real instrumentalists is becoming thinner. Every musical note is being reproduced by machines. When was the last time you saw a solo performance by a shehnai player or a saxophonist? you no longer need a guitarist or a sitarist or even a drum player for recording sessions. 

The need for instrument players is now limited to live shows - that too when an artist can perform real time live and not lip sync on tracks. On the flip side, a singer now doesn't need expensive accompanists and can even record tracks at home with easy to use recording and mastering softwares. Why, you can even collaborate with the best accompanists around the world who can now record their bit independently and email you their accompanying track. so, in short, 2023 will see the co-existence of great differences. Limitless opportunities with unseen challenges. 

Independent labels, belonging mostly to the artists themselves, and independent digital channels will be the order of the day. The need for a music company, television channel and a godfather is diminishing. Crowdfunding and self promotion will be the new order. If you have the talent, 2023 belongs to you. Those who don’t have the resources, there is still hope. PTC Network will soon be launching a PTC MUSIC STARTUP LAB wherein it would launch fresh and old talent to help them achieve success. If you do not have the money and resources, PTC will fund you to your stardom.